Do You Hate Web Interfaces?

In case you haven't heard, the latest rage on the Internet is Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). Or, at least, that's what Macromedia wants you to believe. In short, RIAs is a code-word for using the Flash Player as a UI front-end for an application delivered (typically) via a web browser. If you don't what Flash is, just think of all the little flashing banners you see around the Net, or better yet, any time you've seen some kind of movie of geometric shapes backed by a techno-beat -- that's Flash.

Flash started life much more as a way to make movies than to make user interfaces. In fact, if you program in Flash you still call what you are working on a "movie" even if you are actually building a form to gather, say, a hotel reservation (the application used ad nauseum by Macromedia and other Flash advocates to show the potential of the medium). Although still tied to its legacy as a way to make movies, Flash has come a long way towards being a full-blown UI environment. Not quite all the way -- but, getting better.

Still, I think RIAs are more a concept that we're moving towards than something that's a reality today. Sure, there are examples of applications being built this way, but for the most part they are cumbersome to build (but getting better) and have a host of usability issues. Ironically, people have become used to the basic controls of a web page. While UI experts decry the evil that is HTML forms most of the world happily embraced this technology anyway. And now we're used to it. When presented with a fancy UI that is designed to help us it often ends up confusing us -- we are used to the web being like it is.

If you want to see a little more of what this is all about, some friends of mine recently put out an RIA marketing piece (warning: shameless plug ahead) at: http://www.richcommerce.com.

What do you think? Will RIAs be the next wave of Internet applications?